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“They didn’t get away with it,” he says and I hear the satisfaction in his tone.
“How did you find them if their accomplice didn’t give them up?”
“He gave me their names. Eventually. My grandfather and I went to the trial. At first, I went to watch him suffer and wanted to see him prosecuted. However, during the trial, my opinion of him changed. First off, he wasn’t much older than me. He cried through the entire trial. He insisted he didn’t hurt either of my parents and that he had no intention of hurting them. I thought maybe he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he admitted he went there to rob them. By the end of the trial, I was still angry with him, but I knew he wasn’t the one who killed my parents. So I went to visit him in jail.”
“Wow, that must have been difficult.”
“It was, but I was on a mission. I wanted the names of his accomplices. He wouldn’t tell me. But he told me why he couldn’t give them up and why he went along with the plan to rob the store. He lost his parents, too, leaving him to care for his younger brother and two sisters. He told me he couldn’t share the names of his accomplices because if they learned he ratted them out, they’d go after his siblings.”
“What did you do?”
“I told my grandfather about what I learned. He went looking for the kids and found them. A young couple had already taken in the two girls. They were kind. My grandfather knew them and approved. They had both wanted kids for years, but couldn’t have any of their own. She was a teacher, and he was a cop. We knew the girls couldn’t be in better hands. But the boy was in the system and wasn’t adjusting after his elder brother’s incarceration. He was angry and disruptive, so he had a hard time settling with a foster family.”
“Not surprising.”
“No. Not surprising. But my grandfather stepped in and fostered him. He eventually adopted the boy. His name is Danny. He was only seven when Grandad adopted him. He was a handful, but Grandad never gave up on him. Danny missed his brother Conor, of course. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t see him. Grandad told him what happened to Conor, softening it for the boy. He told Danny that Conor had tried to care for his siblings but made a mistake. That mistake put him in jail. Grandad and I arranged for Danny to visit Conor in jail so that Conor could see for himself that Danny was in excellent hands. Grandad assured Conor that not only would Danny always have a home, but Conor would have one as well once they released him from prison. Conor finally gave me the names of the men who killed my parents.”
“You hunted them down?” I guess.
Dixie nods. “I did. Grandad didn’t know, although he might have suspected. He never tried to stop me. Took me two years to find each one and kill them. The first one I killed was the hardest, and I regret not planning the execution better. His death had the others scattering. From that point on, I made each death look like an accident. My actions didn’t go without notice, though. The Sigil caught on to what I was doing and offered me a job. That’s how I ended up working for them. They also helped me find and eliminate the remaining thugs who killed my parents.”
“What happened to Conor and Danny?”
“Conor is still in jail, although he’s due for release soon. I went to visit him a few months back when he was up for early release and pled my case for his receiving it. They granted it.”
“What is he going to do once he’s out?”
“He learned a trade inside. He’s a mechanic now and hoping to get a job. I have a call to several people I know and I’m hoping someone gives him a chance. I thought about having both him and Danny move here, but since he’ll be an ex-con, he won’t get a visa. Hopefully, he’ll stay with Danny on the farm. The farm is beautiful and peaceful. A great place to gain back one’s soul.”
“I would like to meet them one day and your grandfather,” I tell him.
“Granddad died five years ago while I was on a job. But I still think we should go visit. I’ll set it up. I wouldn’t mind seeing Conor once he’s a free man. Maybe after this business with Vladimir is over.”
“Speaking of Vladimir, what’s happening with him? Are you going to fake his death?”
“Yes. He still needs to give us the day, but we have the rest of the details worked out. I’m meeting with him and we’ll stage the scene.”
“How did Vladimir take learning he’s on a hit list?”
“He seemed fine. Not thrilled, of course, but grateful that I got the assignment. He said it helps him, though. He said disappearing for a few days will help him finish a project he’s invested in.”
“What if Sigil finds out you faked it?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to tell them, eventually.”
“Are you leaving Sigil?”
“No. Not unless you want me to quit. Hex and the others said I should keep doing it if I want. That they can provide me better coverage and keep me protected. Another reason I don’t regret the brand. Another reminder that I can trust my brothers. So, the question is, do you want me to quit?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: DIXIE
I’m waiting for Delphine’s response and find I’m okay with either response. Being an assassin was something that came easily to me and I can’t deny that I enjoy the work. Taking the lives of those who add nothing but pain and evil into the world is rewarding. However, I don’t need to work for Sigil to achieve this. The Demon Dawgs often go up against the worst humanity can offer.
“Does being an assassin make you happy?” Delphine asks, as if reading my mind.
“Yes,” I say simply. “I know killing is a sin, but I’ve never believed that all lives matter. Some men and women make this world better only by leaving it.”
She nods as her eyes glaze a bit. It’s my turn to read her mind, and I know she’s thinking of the man she killed.
